The Billionaire's Ruthless Intrusion (Billionaire Knights Book 1) by Nic Saint Page A

which ran into the more extravagant and ornate. They’d entered the rather stuffy-looking drawing room, where gilded embossed wallpaper lined the walls, and Victorian style furniture stood laden with costly knickknacks.
    As Stuart looked around he barely recognized the house except for the original floor plan. The cozy sitting room where his mother had entertained her guests had been turned into a showroom loaded with all kinds of expensive trinkets. What did Caroline have in mind when she had this place redecorated? Versailles? The first thing that occurred to him as he surveyed the place with distaste was that it must have cost a fortune—his father’s fortune, of course.
    He stood stiffly by the door as Kirsty took a seat on a sofa upholstered with floral silk and Caroline sat across from her. The woman had more work done than most movie stars, he thought, and his disdain and contempt grew until it churned in his gut like bile. He had to suppress a natural inclination to dip his words in acid, however, for they were here to ask a favor from her. No, not a favor—simply to remind her of her duty as a member of this family.
    “It has come to my attention an offer was made by a certain third party to acquire the shares you hold in Knight Enterprises,” he began without preamble.
    Caroline’s purple lips shaped into a smile. “Oh, you heard about that, did you? Yes, some very nice man came to see me the other day, literally offering me millions! Can you imagine?” she tittered gaily, then rang a small bell at her side.
    To Stuart’s surprise, instantly a manservant popped his head in.
    “Would you be a dear and fetch us some tea, Norbert?” she asked. She then beamed at Kirsty, pointedly ignoring Stuart. “You do like tea, don’t you, dear?”
    “I would love some,” said Kirsty with a smile that was obviously genuine.
    Stuart watched it with disapproval. How could Kirsty treat this woman with so much respect? Didn’t she know what kind of a viper she was?
    Before long, tea was served, along with butterfly cake, and Stuart was reluctantly obliged to take a seat next to Kirsty. He’d much rather have remained standing, keeping as much distance between himself and this evil stepmother of his as humanly possible.
    “I want you to renounce the offer,” he announced brusquely, after the servant had left and they were alone once again.
    Caroline’s penciled eyebrows shot up. “But Stuart! How could I possibly refuse? Do you know how much they’re offering?”
    “I don’t care,” he cut in, “and neither should you. You have a duty to this company and this family that precludes selling your shares to a foreign party. Once they acquire a chunk as big as the one you’re holding they’ll be able to control the future of Knight Enterprises and might even, if they acquire floating shares, move in and take over, effectively removing the family from control.”
    “Well, that’s all right, isn’t it?” she asked sweetly. “After all, it’s not as if you or your brothers will have to stint yourselves if they buy you out as well.”
    He rose so abruptly he almost upended the side table with the tea tray. “We will never sell,” he announced darkly. “This company meant the world to Father. Can’t you show a little more respect to his wishes and hold onto his shares?”
    She shrugged and gazed up at him, a hint of steel now appearing in her gray eyes. “But Stuart, how could I possibly do that?” She waved an airy hand. “I have expenses—quite a lot of expenses, actually. The cost of living these days…” She smiled and leaned in, giving Kirsty’s knee a friendly tap. “Well, I don’t have to tell you, dear. You know how hard it is to balance a budget, let alone run an entire household. Those millions would be most welcome, I can assure you!” She cackled loudly, then forked a piece of cake into her mouth.
    So she’d spent it all, had she? All the money his dad had left her? Christ!
    “The